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Tuhaf Bir Kuş’un Görüldüğü Gece
Kafka Kitap’ın yeni dizisi Babil Ekspres, H. G. Wells’in en önemli yapıtlarından birini ilk kez Türkçeleştirerek başlıyor!
Siddermorton papazı Rahip Hilyer, bir gece önce alevler eşliğinde gökyüzünde görülen garip nesneyi konuşan halkın fısıldaşmalarını henüz işitmemiştir… Sıcak bir öğleden sonra kilise önünde uzanan yeşil düzlüklerde avlanırken bu kez gökte süzülenin tuhaf, oldukça büyük bir kuş olduğunu anlar. Tek bir atışla kanadından vurulan kuş, yeryüzüne düşer düşmez bir melek olduğunu söyler. Bilinmeyen bir sebeple “Harikalar Diyarı”ndan ayrı düşüp “Rüyalar Diyarı” olarak adlandırdığı dünyanın atmosferine girmiş, kısa süre sonra da bir insan tarafından vurularak uçma kabiliyetini de yitirmiştir. Göz alıcı renkleri ve görenler tarafından nahoş bulunan giysileriyle bu, dini anlatılar ve masallarda tasvir edilenden çok, Rönesans dönemi tasvirlerini andıran bir melektir. Yaşananlar karşısında şoke olan ve bildiği tüm dini metinleri gözden geçirmeye başlayan rahip, parçalanan kanadı iyileştirme çabasına girişir ancak bunun zaman alacağı bellidir. Yeryüzünde geçirdiği her gün biraz daha insansılaşan Bay Melek ise insan gibi yaşamanın ne demek olduğunu öğrenirken hiç de adil olmayan adalet sistemi ve toplumsal kodlarımızı sorgulaması nedeniyle bir sosyalist olmakla suçlanır ki içine düştüğü dönem icabı bu, yüz kızartıcı olmaktan çok öte bir suçtur. Bugüne dek okuduğumuz H. G. Wells yapıtlarından bariz bir biçimde ayrılan Tuhaf Kuş’un Görüldüğü Gece, yazarının olanca dehâsı, mizahı ve dikte edilmiş doğruları sorgulama cesaretiyle ilk kez Türkçede!
Siddermorton papazı Rahip Hilyer, bir gece önce alevler eşliğinde gökyüzünde görülen garip nesneyi konuşan halkın fısıldaşmalarını henüz işitmemiştir… Sıcak bir öğleden sonra kilise önünde uzanan yeşil düzlüklerde avlanırken bu kez gökte süzülenin tuhaf, oldukça büyük bir kuş olduğunu anlar. Tek bir atışla kanadından vurulan kuş, yeryüzüne düşer düşmez bir melek olduğunu söyler. Bilinmeyen bir sebeple “Harikalar Diyarı”ndan ayrı düşüp “Rüyalar Diyarı” olarak adlandırdığı dünyanın atmosferine girmiş, kısa süre sonra da bir insan tarafından vurularak uçma kabiliyetini de yitirmiştir. Göz alıcı renkleri ve görenler tarafından nahoş bulunan giysileriyle bu, dini anlatılar ve masallarda tasvir edilenden çok, Rönesans dönemi tasvirlerini andıran bir melektir. Yaşananlar karşısında şoke olan ve bildiği tüm dini metinleri gözden geçirmeye başlayan rahip, parçalanan kanadı iyileştirme çabasına girişir ancak bunun zaman alacağı bellidir. Yeryüzünde geçirdiği her gün biraz daha insansılaşan Bay Melek ise insan gibi yaşamanın ne demek olduğunu öğrenirken hiç de adil olmayan adalet sistemi ve toplumsal kodlarımızı sorgulaması nedeniyle bir sosyalist olmakla suçlanır ki içine düştüğü dönem icabı bu, yüz kızartıcı olmaktan çok öte bir suçtur. Bugüne dek okuduğumuz H. G. Wells yapıtlarından bariz bir biçimde ayrılan Tuhaf Kuş’un Görüldüğü Gece, yazarının olanca dehâsı, mizahı ve dikte edilmiş doğruları sorgulama cesaretiyle ilk kez Türkçede!
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1895
192 people are currently reading
1020 people want to read
About the author
H.G. Wells
4,900 books11.1k followersHerbert George Wells was born to a working class family in Kent, England. Young Wells received a spotty education, interrupted by several illnesses and family difficulties, and became a draper's apprentice as a teenager. The headmaster of Midhurst Grammar School, where he had spent a year, arranged for him to return as an "usher," or student teacher. Wells earned a government scholarship in 1884, to study biology under Thomas Henry Huxley at the Normal School of Science. Wells earned his bachelor of science and doctor of science degrees at the University of London. After marrying his cousin, Isabel, Wells began to supplement his teaching salary with short stories and freelance articles, then books, including The Time Machine (1895), The Island of Dr. Moreau (1896), The Invisible Man (1897), and The War of the Worlds (1898).
Wells created a mild scandal when he divorced his cousin to marry one of his best students, Amy Catherine Robbins. Although his second marriage was lasting and produced two sons, Wells was an unabashed advocate of free (as opposed to "indiscriminate") love. He continued to openly have extra-marital liaisons, most famously with Margaret Sanger, and a ten-year relationship with the author Rebecca West, who had one of his two out-of-wedlock children. A one-time member of the Fabian Society, Wells sought active change. His 100 books included many novels, as well as nonfiction, such as A Modern Utopia (1905), The Outline of History (1920), A Short History of the World (1922), The Shape of Things to Come (1933), and The Work, Wealth and Happiness of Mankind (1932). One of his booklets was Crux Ansata, An Indictment of the Roman Catholic Church. Although Wells toyed briefly with the idea of a "divine will" in his book, God the Invisible King (1917), it was a temporary aberration. Wells used his international fame to promote his favorite causes, including the prevention of war, and was received by government officials around the world. He is best-remembered as an early writer of science fiction and futurism.
He was also an outspoken socialist. Wells and Jules Verne are each sometimes referred to as "The Fathers of Science Fiction". D. 1946.
More: http://philosopedia.org/index.php/H._...
http://www.online-literature.com/well...
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http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/t...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._G._Wells
Wells created a mild scandal when he divorced his cousin to marry one of his best students, Amy Catherine Robbins. Although his second marriage was lasting and produced two sons, Wells was an unabashed advocate of free (as opposed to "indiscriminate") love. He continued to openly have extra-marital liaisons, most famously with Margaret Sanger, and a ten-year relationship with the author Rebecca West, who had one of his two out-of-wedlock children. A one-time member of the Fabian Society, Wells sought active change. His 100 books included many novels, as well as nonfiction, such as A Modern Utopia (1905), The Outline of History (1920), A Short History of the World (1922), The Shape of Things to Come (1933), and The Work, Wealth and Happiness of Mankind (1932). One of his booklets was Crux Ansata, An Indictment of the Roman Catholic Church. Although Wells toyed briefly with the idea of a "divine will" in his book, God the Invisible King (1917), it was a temporary aberration. Wells used his international fame to promote his favorite causes, including the prevention of war, and was received by government officials around the world. He is best-remembered as an early writer of science fiction and futurism.
He was also an outspoken socialist. Wells and Jules Verne are each sometimes referred to as "The Fathers of Science Fiction". D. 1946.
More: http://philosopedia.org/index.php/H._...
http://www.online-literature.com/well...
http://www.hgwellsusa.50megs.com/
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/t...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._G._Wells
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews
February 20, 2020
The idea of The Wonderful Visit (1895)—a fantasy published the same year in which the prolific Mr. Wells wrote not only The Time Machine, but also two other novels—is to be found in a comment of John Ruskin’s, who stated that any angel appearing in England would be immediately shot, on sight.
Thus it is that our book begins, with the mild-mannered Vicar Reverend Hillyer, a collector of unusual specimens, shooting an angel with many-colored wings, having mistaken him for a rare, large bird. (He is not at all a religious angel, you see, but rather an angel from a land of fantasy creatures, similar in appearance to “the angel of Italian art.”)
Dismayed and contrite, he takes “Mr. Angel” home, and soon is ensnared in difficulties and embroiled in controversy. The doctor believes he’s merely deformed, the prudish curate’s wife does not like the way he is clothed, the housekeeper distrusts him with the servant girls, and, although he plays the violin with haunting beauty, all the best people at Lady Hammergallow's reception turn against him when they discover he cannot read a note of music. He is obviously a brute, and a “socialist,” and it is clear to all—except for the Vicar, and the tenderhearted servant girl Delia—that Mr. Angel belongs in either a prison or a madhouse, that--above all--Mr. Angel must go.
It is a likable fantasy, perhaps too gentle in its satire. But it takes on a little weight when one realizes that it was written during the Oscar Wilde trial, and published soon after Wilde’s imprisonment. To anyone with an eye for philistines—and parallels—the connection must have been obvious.
I will end with a passage that made me think of Wilde, a passage describing the ghastly effect one week in Victorian England has wrought upon Mr. Angel:
He lifted up his hands to Heaven, the ultimate bitterness of helpless remorse in his face, and then flung them down with a gesture of despair. The prison walls of this narrow passionate life seemed creeping in upon him, certainly and steadily, to crush him presently altogether. He felt what all we poor mortals have to feel sooner or later — the pitiless force of the Things that Must Be, not only without us but (where the real trouble lies) within, all the inevitable tormenting of one’s high resolves, those inevitable seasons when the better self is forgotten. But with us it is a gentle descent, made by imperceptible degrees over a long space of years; with him it was the horrible discovery of one short week. He felt he was being crippled, caked over, blinded, stupefied in the wrappings of this life, he felt as a man might feel who has taken some horrible poison, and feels destruction spreading within him.
September 29, 2016
After finishing this book (and his The Food of the Gods) I'm beginning to rethink my overall assessment of H.G. Wells. Not that he is a bad writer (he certainly isn't!), but his writing is beginning to remind me more and more of social commentary stuck inside a relatively weak story rather than a story that happens to have a moral to it.
In this story, a vicar (priest or reverend if you're not familiar with the British term) finds himself playing host to an angel (literally) who has found himself in our world. The little fact that the vicar shot him and broke one of his wings notwithstanding (mistaken identity for a large bird). Given the time period (1895) and the angel's appearance, there is a lot of difficulty for the vicar in explaining his "guest" to those who live in his parish. And, given the angel's complete ignorance of life in our world compared to life in his (no pain, no death, no eating, no tweed suits), things get progressively worse for the vicar as the book progresses.
The real disappointment for me in this book is its utter lack of depth. The plot, if there is one, is so shallow that the only things that really "happen" in the book are the angel's bad experiences in our world, which include being threatened by a drunk hobo, pelted with plant matter by schoolboys, and a failed violin concert where the angel plays beautifully but the attendees find fault with the music. Add to that the dislike of the vicar by many of his parishioners (though no reasons are given) and the simple disbelief of the "religious" parishioners in actual angels and you get a book that could have been very dramatic or very funny but fails at both. In short, Wells tosses an angel into our world to try to illustrate how bad our world is, but then stops short of offering any redeeming qualities on which we might hang our hats and try to improve. Well, with the exception of the angel's falling in love -- such as it is -- with one of the vicar's serving girls, which is yet another plot point that is utterly and completely undeveloped.
I've read a few novels by Wells, and his The War of the Worlds is a classic (though with something of a cop-out ending), but this book was too long with no depth and therefore totally unsatisfying. I didn't come to care for any of the characters, didn't get involved in the plot, and basically just plodded through this because I didn't want to think about finishing it sometime in the future. If you want to read a Wells novel, find a different one.
In this story, a vicar (priest or reverend if you're not familiar with the British term) finds himself playing host to an angel (literally) who has found himself in our world. The little fact that the vicar shot him and broke one of his wings notwithstanding (mistaken identity for a large bird). Given the time period (1895) and the angel's appearance, there is a lot of difficulty for the vicar in explaining his "guest" to those who live in his parish. And, given the angel's complete ignorance of life in our world compared to life in his (no pain, no death, no eating, no tweed suits), things get progressively worse for the vicar as the book progresses.
The real disappointment for me in this book is its utter lack of depth. The plot, if there is one, is so shallow that the only things that really "happen" in the book are the angel's bad experiences in our world, which include being threatened by a drunk hobo, pelted with plant matter by schoolboys, and a failed violin concert where the angel plays beautifully but the attendees find fault with the music. Add to that the dislike of the vicar by many of his parishioners (though no reasons are given) and the simple disbelief of the "religious" parishioners in actual angels and you get a book that could have been very dramatic or very funny but fails at both. In short, Wells tosses an angel into our world to try to illustrate how bad our world is, but then stops short of offering any redeeming qualities on which we might hang our hats and try to improve. Well, with the exception of the angel's falling in love -- such as it is -- with one of the vicar's serving girls, which is yet another plot point that is utterly and completely undeveloped.
I've read a few novels by Wells, and his The War of the Worlds is a classic (though with something of a cop-out ending), but this book was too long with no depth and therefore totally unsatisfying. I didn't come to care for any of the characters, didn't get involved in the plot, and basically just plodded through this because I didn't want to think about finishing it sometime in the future. If you want to read a Wells novel, find a different one.
March 4, 2017
Is H.G. Wells' The Wonderful Visit, though not strictly a science fiction novel, the first such novel to use the parallel universe theory? Consider this dialogue, spoken by an angel-like creature who enters our world and by the vicar who promptly shot him:
"It almost makes one think that in some odd way there must be two worlds as it were...."
"At least Two," said the Vicar.
"Lying somewhere close together, and yet scarcely suspecting...."
"As near as page to page of a book."
"...there may be any number of three dimensional universes packed side by side, and all dimly dreaming of one another. There may be world upon world, universe upon universe. It's perfectly possible. There's nothing so incredible as the absolutely possible."
The Wonderful Visit, Wells' second novel, is in fact several things: a fantasy, a drama, a comedy and a satire. It's even a love story of sorts. It's easy to imagine it adapted as a British TV series and it was adapted as a film (La Merveilleuse Visite, 1973, by Marcel Carné) and an opera (La Visita Meravigliosa, by Nino Rota, in 1969).
Inspired by John Ruskin's remark that an angel appearing on earth in Victorian England would be shot on sight, Wells guides our innocent angel through needling, sarcastic, patronizing hell, though that hell is a small village in southern England filled with gossips and busy bodies.
The height of the book is a deliriously wry and funny scene wherein our angel makes his debut as a violinist in "polite society". I wouldn't be surprised if the sharp writing here was an influence on P.G. Wodehouse. Reading The Wonderful Visit, it's difficult to keep in mind it was written in 1895.
"It almost makes one think that in some odd way there must be two worlds as it were...."
"At least Two," said the Vicar.
"Lying somewhere close together, and yet scarcely suspecting...."
"As near as page to page of a book."
"...there may be any number of three dimensional universes packed side by side, and all dimly dreaming of one another. There may be world upon world, universe upon universe. It's perfectly possible. There's nothing so incredible as the absolutely possible."
The Wonderful Visit, Wells' second novel, is in fact several things: a fantasy, a drama, a comedy and a satire. It's even a love story of sorts. It's easy to imagine it adapted as a British TV series and it was adapted as a film (La Merveilleuse Visite, 1973, by Marcel Carné) and an opera (La Visita Meravigliosa, by Nino Rota, in 1969).
Inspired by John Ruskin's remark that an angel appearing on earth in Victorian England would be shot on sight, Wells guides our innocent angel through needling, sarcastic, patronizing hell, though that hell is a small village in southern England filled with gossips and busy bodies.
The height of the book is a deliriously wry and funny scene wherein our angel makes his debut as a violinist in "polite society". I wouldn't be surprised if the sharp writing here was an influence on P.G. Wodehouse. Reading The Wonderful Visit, it's difficult to keep in mind it was written in 1895.
January 27, 2022
Wonderful indeed. I was so touched by this. Science fiction or not, it seems to be a brutal look into the the human ignorance.
An angel in trouble, cos a man couldn't let nature's beauty to be in nature and more and more troublesome events to be followed just because humans are no way in hell ready to accept what they don't know of. Vicar struck me as a genuinely kind and a caring person, even if he was the one who was killing innocent species in the first place. If it wasn't for his damn gun, the Angel would be in his angelic world doing his angelic things. Still, the Vicar was far more sensible and kind compared to the rest.
I loved the way the story advanced. Tiny chapters with a lot of things to absorb. The eccentric characters, how they're portrayed, simply beautiful. I think this is the best Wells book I've read so far.
Book #10 of 2022.
Book #04 of H G Wells Reading Challenge
An angel in trouble, cos a man couldn't let nature's beauty to be in nature and more and more troublesome events to be followed just because humans are no way in hell ready to accept what they don't know of. Vicar struck me as a genuinely kind and a caring person, even if he was the one who was killing innocent species in the first place. If it wasn't for his damn gun, the Angel would be in his angelic world doing his angelic things. Still, the Vicar was far more sensible and kind compared to the rest.
I loved the way the story advanced. Tiny chapters with a lot of things to absorb. The eccentric characters, how they're portrayed, simply beautiful. I think this is the best Wells book I've read so far.
Book #10 of 2022.
Book #04 of H G Wells Reading Challenge
November 6, 2022
"Explanations are the fallacy of a scientific age."
"The Angel smiled back, with eyebrows raised and hands extended. “It’s impossible for you to know who I am. Your eyes are blind, your ears deaf, your soul dark, to all that is wonderful about me. It’s no good my telling that I fell into your world.”"
"“THE FACT IS,” said the Vicar, “this is no world for Angels.”"
The Wonderful Visit by H. G. Wells was published in the same year of 1895 as his first recorded novel, The Time Machine. Obviously, The Time Machine, which took the world by storm overpowered any type of reception for a novel about a heavenly being coming to this world. The premise of The Wonderful Visit is a theme that has been discussed by other writers (for example, The Brothers Karamazov), but, I believe, Wells addresses the quandary practically, as he asks "How would the world react to a visit by a divine being?"
For me, this was a frustrating novel, but that frustration wasn't due to Well's development of the story, his descriptions, or his ability to communicate a message; it was due to the inevitable. Every time someone says, "I have seen an angel," or "I have had a vision," that person is considered a crackpot, a delusional lunatic, or a grifter. Consequently, the book was full of conversations with skeptics, including those within the church, who not only refused to believe, but, as a matter of fact, simply refused to even listen. And then the question one has to ask, and which Wells addresses is, "What happens to the divinity of the being if there is no faith?"
However, the question doesn't simply stop at that point. It extends even further and makes us ask, "What happens to the world if we reject divinity and lose our faith?" I have no answers to these far reaching questions, but Wells attempts in this short novel, to provide some insight into this very important dilemma. A plight so much more important than the concept of time travel, and one which has eternal ramifications. But then humankind doesn't typically enjoy pondering about such issues because it makes one feel uncomfortable, and possibly embarrassed. It's much easier to think about traveling through time.
Ironically, whether we like it or not, Wells did answer the second question, but he didn't answer it in The Wonderful Visit. Rather, he covertly, in my opinion, answered it in The Time Machine. For those who have read that fascinating short novel, think on the world the no-named man observes following his departure from the world of the Eloi and the Morlock. Is that Well's vision of the future, or simply his statement, "This is what happens to a world with no faith"?
"The Angel smiled back, with eyebrows raised and hands extended. “It’s impossible for you to know who I am. Your eyes are blind, your ears deaf, your soul dark, to all that is wonderful about me. It’s no good my telling that I fell into your world.”"
"“THE FACT IS,” said the Vicar, “this is no world for Angels.”"
The Wonderful Visit by H. G. Wells was published in the same year of 1895 as his first recorded novel, The Time Machine. Obviously, The Time Machine, which took the world by storm overpowered any type of reception for a novel about a heavenly being coming to this world. The premise of The Wonderful Visit is a theme that has been discussed by other writers (for example, The Brothers Karamazov), but, I believe, Wells addresses the quandary practically, as he asks "How would the world react to a visit by a divine being?"
For me, this was a frustrating novel, but that frustration wasn't due to Well's development of the story, his descriptions, or his ability to communicate a message; it was due to the inevitable. Every time someone says, "I have seen an angel," or "I have had a vision," that person is considered a crackpot, a delusional lunatic, or a grifter. Consequently, the book was full of conversations with skeptics, including those within the church, who not only refused to believe, but, as a matter of fact, simply refused to even listen. And then the question one has to ask, and which Wells addresses is, "What happens to the divinity of the being if there is no faith?"
However, the question doesn't simply stop at that point. It extends even further and makes us ask, "What happens to the world if we reject divinity and lose our faith?" I have no answers to these far reaching questions, but Wells attempts in this short novel, to provide some insight into this very important dilemma. A plight so much more important than the concept of time travel, and one which has eternal ramifications. But then humankind doesn't typically enjoy pondering about such issues because it makes one feel uncomfortable, and possibly embarrassed. It's much easier to think about traveling through time.
Ironically, whether we like it or not, Wells did answer the second question, but he didn't answer it in The Wonderful Visit. Rather, he covertly, in my opinion, answered it in The Time Machine. For those who have read that fascinating short novel, think on the world the no-named man observes following his departure from the world of the Eloi and the Morlock. Is that Well's vision of the future, or simply his statement, "This is what happens to a world with no faith"?
December 10, 2015
Great short story about the sensless maliciousness of man and his desire to destroy all that he feels threatened by. I don't want to give to much away, but a quick little read that has a whole lot to say. This book is pretty deep if you take the time to break it down, so becareful not to dig so deep that you don't take the time to enjoy it.
March 5, 2025
3.5/5
Solid tale about an Angel coming to Earth and his interactions with a vicar. It starts out strong, and the fish out of water nature had me engaged, but then the story meanders for fifty/sixty pages before ending on a fairly strong note.
Solid tale about an Angel coming to Earth and his interactions with a vicar. It starts out strong, and the fish out of water nature had me engaged, but then the story meanders for fifty/sixty pages before ending on a fairly strong note.
February 14, 2025
In sum, an angel finds himself on Earth, stranded, and in trouble. The interaction between him and the English villages leads to a surprising conclusion.
This story turned out to be a wonderful surprise for me. I liked the light fantasy aspect, Wells’ writing style, dialogue, and the overall satirical look at Victorian Era values and society.
One particular passage caught my eye for the smooth action:
The Angel seemed to leap into the air, a pair of grey wings flashed out at the Squire, he saw a face bearing down upon him, full of the wild beauty of passionate anger. His riding whip was torn out of his hand. His horse reared behind him, pulled him over, gained his bridle and fled.
💥 Recommended.
🟣
This story turned out to be a wonderful surprise for me. I liked the light fantasy aspect, Wells’ writing style, dialogue, and the overall satirical look at Victorian Era values and society.
One particular passage caught my eye for the smooth action:
The Angel seemed to leap into the air, a pair of grey wings flashed out at the Squire, he saw a face bearing down upon him, full of the wild beauty of passionate anger. His riding whip was torn out of his hand. His horse reared behind him, pulled him over, gained his bridle and fled.
💥 Recommended.
🟣
Read
December 13, 2018Always wanted to know what an angel looks like ~ now I know.
May 5, 2025
Masalsı yönü epey fazla ama ben keyifle okudum. Özellikle rahip ve melek arasında geçen diyaloglar ve insan olmayı sorgulayan melekin zor anları, şaşırmaları, adaletsizlikleri görmesi çok enteresandı. Wells'in diğer kitaplardan epey farklı bir kurgu ama okumayı deneyimleyin derim.
December 11, 2020
"The Wonderful Visit" presents a charming picture of life in a 19th-century English village where an angel has the misfortune to become stranded on Earth. He gets into a great deal of trouble, but all comes well in the end.
I'd read H.G. Wells's science fiction novels, his Outline of History, and a large part of his biology textbook, but he wrote so much more, and I wanted to read his other novels. All his works seem to be in the Delphi Classics collection for Kindle, which is a fantastic bargain at only $1.99.
I'd read H.G. Wells's science fiction novels, his Outline of History, and a large part of his biology textbook, but he wrote so much more, and I wanted to read his other novels. All his works seem to be in the Delphi Classics collection for Kindle, which is a fantastic bargain at only $1.99.
April 21, 2023
Wells continues to astound. That is, this is only his second novel, but the sixth I've read. All six have been masterpieces, so far as I care.
The premise of this novel is rooted in a joke that, if an angel were to appear in England, it would be shot on the spot. Which is exactly what happens. Our main human protagonist is a Vicar in a small town, who doesn't himself seem to believe too strongly in what his occupation has him preach. Our angel protagonist is not quite of the Abrahamic sort, being instead more a creature of fantasy - uh, well, "fantasy" in the sense that unicorns and dragons live in his same world, and where it's probably frowned upon for Wells to claim the angels of religious lore to be as fictitious, England not yet being as atheistic as it should soon become. So our Angel has fallen into England from a sort of reverse-dreamland; humans dream of angels and unicorns and things, whereas Angels dream of the mundane hustle and bustle of industrial Britain. Coming from a Utopia such as he does, the Angel is soon forced into earthly experiences such as Hunger and Pain, learning in the span of a week or so the harsh realities humans grow to accept over decades of life. Much of the novel then focuses on something like a "comedy of errors" as the Angel fails to understand class-structure in late-nineteenth-century England, ultimately leading to a number of villagers branding him a Socialist and asking the Vicar to send him away. Meanwhile, the Angel falls in love with a servant-girl, Delia, from whom he learns how a stronger sense of Beauty than what it common in his homeworld can be found on our Earth, strictly from the contrast between Love and the general Pain of existence.
This novel was published in the same year as Wells's earlier Time Machine, so it's a little fun to compare the world of the Eloi and Morlocks with the Angel's dreamworld here. Wells was a bit of a socialist himself, but he depicted a world where the children of a perfected civilization regressed into quasi-retarded children, while the beings forced to work all their lives became subterranean monsters. Here, Wells has a drunken vagrant explain to our Angel a theory the the education system crushes children's spirits to break them into perfect workers, where they see no issue in working for the rest of their lives, indeed see pride and honor in work, meanwhile they earn much less than richer people who sit around doing nothing all day. Later, Wells's detached narrator (not a concrete character in the story) apologizes for almost humanizing the servant Delia, in mock-fear of offending the sensibilities of well-to-do Ladies who may be reading the book. The Vicar himself is of rather high status in his community, due to the significance of his position, but is steadily disintegrated by visions and hopes of the Angel's world; in the end, .
The premise of this novel is rooted in a joke that, if an angel were to appear in England, it would be shot on the spot. Which is exactly what happens. Our main human protagonist is a Vicar in a small town, who doesn't himself seem to believe too strongly in what his occupation has him preach. Our angel protagonist is not quite of the Abrahamic sort, being instead more a creature of fantasy - uh, well, "fantasy" in the sense that unicorns and dragons live in his same world, and where it's probably frowned upon for Wells to claim the angels of religious lore to be as fictitious, England not yet being as atheistic as it should soon become. So our Angel has fallen into England from a sort of reverse-dreamland; humans dream of angels and unicorns and things, whereas Angels dream of the mundane hustle and bustle of industrial Britain. Coming from a Utopia such as he does, the Angel is soon forced into earthly experiences such as Hunger and Pain, learning in the span of a week or so the harsh realities humans grow to accept over decades of life. Much of the novel then focuses on something like a "comedy of errors" as the Angel fails to understand class-structure in late-nineteenth-century England, ultimately leading to a number of villagers branding him a Socialist and asking the Vicar to send him away. Meanwhile, the Angel falls in love with a servant-girl, Delia, from whom he learns how a stronger sense of Beauty than what it common in his homeworld can be found on our Earth, strictly from the contrast between Love and the general Pain of existence.
This novel was published in the same year as Wells's earlier Time Machine, so it's a little fun to compare the world of the Eloi and Morlocks with the Angel's dreamworld here. Wells was a bit of a socialist himself, but he depicted a world where the children of a perfected civilization regressed into quasi-retarded children, while the beings forced to work all their lives became subterranean monsters. Here, Wells has a drunken vagrant explain to our Angel a theory the the education system crushes children's spirits to break them into perfect workers, where they see no issue in working for the rest of their lives, indeed see pride and honor in work, meanwhile they earn much less than richer people who sit around doing nothing all day. Later, Wells's detached narrator (not a concrete character in the story) apologizes for almost humanizing the servant Delia, in mock-fear of offending the sensibilities of well-to-do Ladies who may be reading the book. The Vicar himself is of rather high status in his community, due to the significance of his position, but is steadily disintegrated by visions and hopes of the Angel's world; in the end, .
August 23, 2018
A wonderful novel. Reportedly inspired by an observation by critic John Ruskin that if an angel appeared in Victorian England, it would be shot on sight, this very early work, published after the initial success of "The Time Machine," is a mirror image of Swift's "Gulliver's Travels." Both works take the social mores of their day mercilessly to task, but whereas Swift's Gulliver is transported from the land of the known to a fantastic terra incognita, Wells' "Mr. Angel" is thrust from the "Land of Dreams" into our own mundane realm. And he pays a price for this, along the way becoming infected with much of the worst which our world has to offer, yet still managing to glimpse the rays of light and hope which, against all odds, still sometimes manage, somehow, to emerge from the deep wells of our darker natures.
Apart from a neatly constructed and well-paced plot which never lags, this lean but dense story exhibits many of the proclivities which would continue to crop up throughout the author's subsequent body of work: socialist leanings; a fondness for the downtrodden and the working classes; disdain for formalities and affectations; a firm belief in the fundamental goodness of the human race; and a conviction that good, ultimately, will triumph over the evil which we all harbor in our hearts. This is not to say, however, that Wells ties up his story with a nice, neat, pretty little bow, and it precisely this refusal to pander which elevates "The Wonderful Visit" above the level of mere comedy, satire, or social commentary. Fans of Wells, or of late Victorian literature in general, would be well-advised to invest their time in this slim volume.
Apart from a neatly constructed and well-paced plot which never lags, this lean but dense story exhibits many of the proclivities which would continue to crop up throughout the author's subsequent body of work: socialist leanings; a fondness for the downtrodden and the working classes; disdain for formalities and affectations; a firm belief in the fundamental goodness of the human race; and a conviction that good, ultimately, will triumph over the evil which we all harbor in our hearts. This is not to say, however, that Wells ties up his story with a nice, neat, pretty little bow, and it precisely this refusal to pander which elevates "The Wonderful Visit" above the level of mere comedy, satire, or social commentary. Fans of Wells, or of late Victorian literature in general, would be well-advised to invest their time in this slim volume.
December 22, 2022
هذي احد الروايات الشيقة اللي شدتني صفحة تلو الاخرى، حدث تلو الآخر. ماقدرت اتخيل عالمنا من وجهة نظر الملاك، مدى صعوبة استيعابه لعيشنا وحياتنا..
حبيت تعاطف الكاهن مع الملاك وتصديقه له بالرغم من تكذيب وانكار جميع اهل القرية، وكأنه هو جيشه الوحيد.
ديليا..
ولكأن كل الزيارة المدهشة هذه كان سببها ديليا! وكأن العوالم قررت أن تندمج وتتقاطع فقط حتى يتسنى للملاك أن يلتقي بديليا، ومن ثم يذوب معها للأبد، لا أحد يعلم أين، ولكن حتمًا في عالم آخر.
حبيت تعاطف الكاهن مع الملاك وتصديقه له بالرغم من تكذيب وانكار جميع اهل القرية، وكأنه هو جيشه الوحيد.
ديليا..
ولكأن كل الزيارة المدهشة هذه كان سببها ديليا! وكأن العوالم قررت أن تندمج وتتقاطع فقط حتى يتسنى للملاك أن يلتقي بديليا، ومن ثم يذوب معها للأبد، لا أحد يعلم أين، ولكن حتمًا في عالم آخر.
October 7, 2023
Muhteşemdi 1895 yılında yazılmış bir kitap ama paralel evrenler,astral seyahat ve her daim değişemeyrn insan manzaraları. Kesinlikle değişmiyoruz. Bizden farklı olana dair zarar verme güdümüz hiç değişmiyor. Melek Thomas keşke bu dünyaya düşmeseydin. Meleği vuranın bir papaz olması da bir metafor olmuş. Beğendim
June 5, 2025
Taken into consideration the time this was written (1895), how beautiful it is written, how imaginative it is, I cannot give this any less than five stars.
I absolutely loved it.
I absolutely loved it.
October 27, 2025
Where has this charming little work been hiding? I loved it! It's basically satirical criticism of the "collector" trend in Victorian England, where people would kill and display any "unusual" bird, animal, insect, or plant they found, and it takes pot-shots at several other ridiculous social norms of the time period, too.
Unfortunately, there's one white-supremacist outburst that was quite a jumpscare right in the middle of all the hilarity and philosophizing, but thankfully it was short-lived and the character never reappeared.
Aside from that, though, I had a really great time with this. Read it in one afternoon, which is unusual for me! Was almost moved to tears at the end, too, which is also unusual for me. Really enjoyed it.
Unfortunately, there's one white-supremacist outburst that was quite a jumpscare right in the middle of all the hilarity and philosophizing, but thankfully it was short-lived and the character never reappeared.
Aside from that, though, I had a really great time with this. Read it in one afternoon, which is unusual for me! Was almost moved to tears at the end, too, which is also unusual for me. Really enjoyed it.
August 12, 2020
A well written and thought out commentary and satire on Victorian social mores.
June 5, 2012
‘The Wonderful Visit’ seems to be regarded mainly as a mocking reflection on attitudes, beliefs and the social structure of a typical English village in Victorian times. I read the social commentary as ornamentation round the more essential theme, the tragic/comic conflict that can accompany awakening.
A strange bird was sighted.
Ornithology being a passion of the Vicar of Siddermorton, Rev. K. Hilyer, he was going to outdo his rivals and hunt the strange bird. So it came to be that on the 4th of August 1895 he shot down an angel.
… He saw what it was, his heart was in his mouth, and he fired out of pure surprise and habit. There was a scream of superhuman agony, the wings beat the air twice, and the victim came slanting swiftly downward and struck the ground – a struggling heap of writhing body, broken wing and flying blood-stained plumes … the Vicar stood aghast, with his smoking gun in his hand. It was no bird at all, but a youth with an extremely beautiful face, clad in a robe of saffron and with iridescent wings … never had the Vicar seen such gorgeous floods of colour …
‘A man, said the Angel, clasping his forehead … then I was not deceived, I am indeed in the Land of Dreams.’ The vicar tells him that men are real and angels are myth … ‘It almost makes one think that in some odd way there must be two worlds as it were …’
‘At least two,’ said the Vicar, and goes on pondering … he loved geometrical speculations, ‘there may be any number of three dimensional universes packed side by side, and all dimly aware of each other.’
They met half way, where reality is loosely defined, and truth has no hold. And they shared the nature of their worlds. Eat, pain, and die were among the new terms the strange visitor had to come to grips with.
‘Pain is the warp and the waft of this life,’ said the Vicar. Riddled with remorse over having maimed the Angel’s wing, he decides to looks after him. But to adjust to the Vicar’s world, the Angel must eat and accept pain, and learn all manner of things very fast indeed …
‘What a strange life!’ said the Angel.
‘Yes,’ said the Vicar. ‘What a strange life! But the thing that makes it strange to me is new. I had taken it as a matter of course until you came into my life.’
Mr Angel is nothing like the pure and white angel of popular belief, more like the angel of Italian art, polychromatic, and a musical genius with the violin. Listening … the Vicar lost all sense of duration, all sense of necessity … The reactions of the villagers oscillate across a hair-thin-divide between comedy and tragedy. The bone of the story is however psychological, and spiritual. Indirectly, the Vicar encounters his anima through the Angel’s love for Delia, the maid servant of the house. There is no escape. Things get intense. The Angel, over the span of a short week, is tainted by the wickedness of the world, and it crushes him. And the Vicar’s awakening from his narrow prison brings him into tragic conflict with his community.
A strange bird was sighted.
Ornithology being a passion of the Vicar of Siddermorton, Rev. K. Hilyer, he was going to outdo his rivals and hunt the strange bird. So it came to be that on the 4th of August 1895 he shot down an angel.
… He saw what it was, his heart was in his mouth, and he fired out of pure surprise and habit. There was a scream of superhuman agony, the wings beat the air twice, and the victim came slanting swiftly downward and struck the ground – a struggling heap of writhing body, broken wing and flying blood-stained plumes … the Vicar stood aghast, with his smoking gun in his hand. It was no bird at all, but a youth with an extremely beautiful face, clad in a robe of saffron and with iridescent wings … never had the Vicar seen such gorgeous floods of colour …
‘A man, said the Angel, clasping his forehead … then I was not deceived, I am indeed in the Land of Dreams.’ The vicar tells him that men are real and angels are myth … ‘It almost makes one think that in some odd way there must be two worlds as it were …’
‘At least two,’ said the Vicar, and goes on pondering … he loved geometrical speculations, ‘there may be any number of three dimensional universes packed side by side, and all dimly aware of each other.’
They met half way, where reality is loosely defined, and truth has no hold. And they shared the nature of their worlds. Eat, pain, and die were among the new terms the strange visitor had to come to grips with.
‘Pain is the warp and the waft of this life,’ said the Vicar. Riddled with remorse over having maimed the Angel’s wing, he decides to looks after him. But to adjust to the Vicar’s world, the Angel must eat and accept pain, and learn all manner of things very fast indeed …
‘What a strange life!’ said the Angel.
‘Yes,’ said the Vicar. ‘What a strange life! But the thing that makes it strange to me is new. I had taken it as a matter of course until you came into my life.’
Mr Angel is nothing like the pure and white angel of popular belief, more like the angel of Italian art, polychromatic, and a musical genius with the violin. Listening … the Vicar lost all sense of duration, all sense of necessity … The reactions of the villagers oscillate across a hair-thin-divide between comedy and tragedy. The bone of the story is however psychological, and spiritual. Indirectly, the Vicar encounters his anima through the Angel’s love for Delia, the maid servant of the house. There is no escape. Things get intense. The Angel, over the span of a short week, is tainted by the wickedness of the world, and it crushes him. And the Vicar’s awakening from his narrow prison brings him into tragic conflict with his community.
October 8, 2021
A 2021 REVIEW
Hello science fiction fans, classics connoisseurs and welcome to curious mind of Herbert George Wells.
In this day and age classics can be hard to read, but like any good poem or artwork if you spent a little time with it what you might find could be profound. If your not a fan of classics then luckily this is a short one.
I would class this tale as magical realism. How would the world react if something otherworldly, fell to earth? Wells does not think it would be fascination and awe. I am not going to go into the comment that inspired the story as other reviewers have mentioned it. But I think he must have somewhat agreed with John Ruskin and I do too.
What you can hope to get from this story if you decide to read it. A glimpse into the Victorian mindset, and compared to today's standards it's quite offensive. A hard-hitting tale about an angel that is disliked by most because he's different. A dark twist. A chance for introspection. What would you do if an angel fell into your town? Shoot it out of fear or help it find its way back home.
Hello science fiction fans, classics connoisseurs and welcome to curious mind of Herbert George Wells.
In this day and age classics can be hard to read, but like any good poem or artwork if you spent a little time with it what you might find could be profound. If your not a fan of classics then luckily this is a short one.
I would class this tale as magical realism. How would the world react if something otherworldly, fell to earth? Wells does not think it would be fascination and awe. I am not going to go into the comment that inspired the story as other reviewers have mentioned it. But I think he must have somewhat agreed with John Ruskin and I do too.
What you can hope to get from this story if you decide to read it. A glimpse into the Victorian mindset, and compared to today's standards it's quite offensive. A hard-hitting tale about an angel that is disliked by most because he's different. A dark twist. A chance for introspection. What would you do if an angel fell into your town? Shoot it out of fear or help it find its way back home.
November 11, 2023
Un libro diferente de H.G.Wells conocido por sus libros de ciencia ficción, este título es de pensamiento mágico donde se narra la llegada de un ángel a la campiña inglesa y cómo estas presencia va afectando a la comunidad y cómo el ángel se va humanizando hasta llegar a un final totalmente inesperado.
Muy recomendable para conocer algo diferente del autor.
Muy recomendable para conocer algo diferente del autor.
Want to read
May 3, 2021- Wells n eccentric mode
- 'the Angel of Italian art, polychromatic and gay. He comes from the land of beautiful dreams and not from any holier place.'
- an example of the whimsical tone: 'The Vicar's voice grew impassioned. "What sin I have done that I should entertain and clothe angelic visitants, I don't know. I only know that—inconvenient as it undoubtedly will be—I have an angel now in the drawing-room, wearing my new suit and finishing his tea.'
- the Vicar explains about human life and religion, and of course it all sounds ridiculous
- plays the violin, not the harp
- "The fact is," said the Vicar, "this is no world for Angels."
- 'the Angel of Italian art, polychromatic and gay. He comes from the land of beautiful dreams and not from any holier place.'
- an example of the whimsical tone: 'The Vicar's voice grew impassioned. "What sin I have done that I should entertain and clothe angelic visitants, I don't know. I only know that—inconvenient as it undoubtedly will be—I have an angel now in the drawing-room, wearing my new suit and finishing his tea.'
- the Vicar explains about human life and religion, and of course it all sounds ridiculous
- plays the violin, not the harp
- "The fact is," said the Vicar, "this is no world for Angels."
July 15, 2014
I wish I had such a pretty edition!
A wonderful, slightly satirical, and melancholic little novel by Wells about an angel who falls to earth and his impact on a small English village. Wells wrote this right after The Time Machine and it shares some similar ideas, but is a bit more fanciful. There are some remarkable passages about pain and human suffering that almost seem Buddhist in their concepts.
A wonderful, slightly satirical, and melancholic little novel by Wells about an angel who falls to earth and his impact on a small English village. Wells wrote this right after The Time Machine and it shares some similar ideas, but is a bit more fanciful. There are some remarkable passages about pain and human suffering that almost seem Buddhist in their concepts.
July 31, 2012
Really very clever. Starts as a rather deft comedy of manners and ends as a cautionary tale about the corruption of innocence - the Angel's in a weeks time, and the Vicar's over decades. Just set this down and am still pondering the implications. Strong, thought provoking storytelling by the master. I thoroughly recommend it.
August 17, 2016
Interesting story. It's a bit difficult for me to get into some of these old stories, even the classics. It moved along slowly and the writing is a bit 'different.' Fortunately it was short. Ultimately I think the story is good.
February 3, 2020
A pleasant little nothing of a book. I didn't know Wells ever wrote something like this. It was enjoyable from start to finish.
June 19, 2024
One night, over a country village in England, there is a bright light in the sky. Not many people see it.
A local drunk sees something that makes him give up the bottle and change his life for the better.
Several people report seeing a "strange bird." The Vicar of Siddermorton, an amateur ornithologist, decides to claim this bird, and sets out with his shotgun. He sees large, iridescent wings and fires; bringing down what at first appears to be a winged human being: in fact, an Angel. The Vicar does his best to bandage the wounded wing. In discussion, he learns that Angels think humans, as well as dogs, horses, and such, are mythical, while they know (for example) unicorns to be real. Angels, it turns out, live in peace with each other and their world, which is indeed a Paradise.
Almost nobody but the Vicar takes him at face value; the local doctor, for example, thinks he is suffering from some freakish ailment. His main source of solace is the Vicar's violin, which he (the Angel) plays in a way that the Vicar finds profoundly moving. He is invited to play at a party given by the local Ladyship.
As days pass, the Angel finds our world to be a terrible place. His wings are shrinking, and he finds himself beginning to feel the terrible emotions that plague humans.
The only person beside the Vicar who treats him with any sort of kindness is a serving-girl. Of course, the social conventions of the time will not allow the Angel, who is by courtesy as a guest of the Vicar a member of the middle-class, to interact with this girl; but he does not understand this.
This is clearly a tragedy in the making, and of course it plays out so -- though Wells provides a hint at a happy ending.
This is quite unlike anything else of Wells's I have read. It was written in 1895, during the period when he was producing the "scientific romances" upon which his modern reputation largely depends, but is almost never mentioned -- let alone mentioned in their company.
One odd thing: while it is clear in context that this is indeed an Angel, the subject of God never seems to come up in his conversation. I'm not sure what Wells was trying to say here.
A local drunk sees something that makes him give up the bottle and change his life for the better.
Several people report seeing a "strange bird." The Vicar of Siddermorton, an amateur ornithologist, decides to claim this bird, and sets out with his shotgun. He sees large, iridescent wings and fires; bringing down what at first appears to be a winged human being: in fact, an Angel. The Vicar does his best to bandage the wounded wing. In discussion, he learns that Angels think humans, as well as dogs, horses, and such, are mythical, while they know (for example) unicorns to be real. Angels, it turns out, live in peace with each other and their world, which is indeed a Paradise.
Almost nobody but the Vicar takes him at face value; the local doctor, for example, thinks he is suffering from some freakish ailment. His main source of solace is the Vicar's violin, which he (the Angel) plays in a way that the Vicar finds profoundly moving. He is invited to play at a party given by the local Ladyship.
As days pass, the Angel finds our world to be a terrible place. His wings are shrinking, and he finds himself beginning to feel the terrible emotions that plague humans.
The only person beside the Vicar who treats him with any sort of kindness is a serving-girl. Of course, the social conventions of the time will not allow the Angel, who is by courtesy as a guest of the Vicar a member of the middle-class, to interact with this girl; but he does not understand this.
This is clearly a tragedy in the making, and of course it plays out so -- though Wells provides a hint at a happy ending.
This is quite unlike anything else of Wells's I have read. It was written in 1895, during the period when he was producing the "scientific romances" upon which his modern reputation largely depends, but is almost never mentioned -- let alone mentioned in their company.
One odd thing: while it is clear in context that this is indeed an Angel, the subject of God never seems to come up in his conversation. I'm not sure what Wells was trying to say here.
December 24, 2023
Yazarın daha önce kitaplarını severek okumuştum, bu esere masalsı bir hikâyeydi diyebiliriz. Diğerlerinden daha fazla seveceğimi düşünüyordum ama pek öyle olmadı. Farklı ve düşündüren bir okuma oldu.
"Tek bir atışla kanadından vurulan kuş, yeryüzüne düşer düşmez bir melek olduğunu söyler. Bilinmeyen bir sebeple, 'Harikalar Diyarı'ndan ayrı düşüp 'Rüyalar Diyarı' olarak adlandırdığı dünyanın atmosferine girmiş, kısa süre sonra da bir rahip tarafından vurularak uçma kabiliyetini yitirmiştir. Yaşananlar karşısında şoke olan ve bildiği tüm dini metinleri gözden geçirmeye başlayan rahip, kanadı iyileştirmeye çalışır. Fakat bu biraz zaman alacaktır. Yeryüzünde geçirdiği her gün biraz daha insansılaşan Bay Melek ise insan gibi yaşamanın ne demek olduğunu öğrenirken sosyalist olmakla suçlanır."
(Arka Kapak)
Bu kitaptaki beyinsiz insanlara gıcık oldum ben, davranışları meleği her şaşırttığında onların yüzünden utandım. Meleğe rezil olmuşuz gibi hissettim. Bu yüzden küçücük kitap hiç bitmeyecekmiş gibi geldi. Bir meleğin kâbusuydu sanki insan.
"Eğer bir tür nadirse, onun hayatta kalmaya uygun olmadığı düşünülür." (sf 18)
"Bence dikkatimizi etrafımızdan, duyularımızla hissettiğimiz dünyadan çektiğimizde huzurlu bir yere, başka dünyalara gidiyoruz. Gün sona ererken yıldızları, uzaydaki diğer dünyaları gördüğümüz gibi. Bunları en belirgin görenlerse sanatçı ruhlu hayalperestler." (sf 25)
"Siz insanların en garip yanı başkalarına acı vermeye çok istekli ve hazır olmanız." dedi.
"Ama insanlar kendileri acı çekmekten hoşlanmıyor." dedi Melek. (sf 103)
"Tek bir atışla kanadından vurulan kuş, yeryüzüne düşer düşmez bir melek olduğunu söyler. Bilinmeyen bir sebeple, 'Harikalar Diyarı'ndan ayrı düşüp 'Rüyalar Diyarı' olarak adlandırdığı dünyanın atmosferine girmiş, kısa süre sonra da bir rahip tarafından vurularak uçma kabiliyetini yitirmiştir. Yaşananlar karşısında şoke olan ve bildiği tüm dini metinleri gözden geçirmeye başlayan rahip, kanadı iyileştirmeye çalışır. Fakat bu biraz zaman alacaktır. Yeryüzünde geçirdiği her gün biraz daha insansılaşan Bay Melek ise insan gibi yaşamanın ne demek olduğunu öğrenirken sosyalist olmakla suçlanır."
(Arka Kapak)
Bu kitaptaki beyinsiz insanlara gıcık oldum ben, davranışları meleği her şaşırttığında onların yüzünden utandım. Meleğe rezil olmuşuz gibi hissettim. Bu yüzden küçücük kitap hiç bitmeyecekmiş gibi geldi. Bir meleğin kâbusuydu sanki insan.
"Eğer bir tür nadirse, onun hayatta kalmaya uygun olmadığı düşünülür." (sf 18)
"Bence dikkatimizi etrafımızdan, duyularımızla hissettiğimiz dünyadan çektiğimizde huzurlu bir yere, başka dünyalara gidiyoruz. Gün sona ererken yıldızları, uzaydaki diğer dünyaları gördüğümüz gibi. Bunları en belirgin görenlerse sanatçı ruhlu hayalperestler." (sf 25)
"Siz insanların en garip yanı başkalarına acı vermeye çok istekli ve hazır olmanız." dedi.
"Ama insanlar kendileri acı çekmekten hoşlanmıyor." dedi Melek. (sf 103)
January 18, 2023
This novel is Science Fiction only in the sense that when you walk into any bookstore, you're going to see Tolkien and Sanderson lumped into the same section as Heinlein and Asimov. This work is a light fantasy, although nowadays we might call it magic realism.
A bird loving vicar goes out to investigate reports of a strange specimen in the woods. He takes a shot at it to bring it home for his collection, only to find that he has winged - literally - an angel - literally. He helps it home, and through their interplay, we learn that perhaps this isn't strictly a Biblical angel, but one from what is perhaps a parallel world. Still, the angel has found itself deposited in our world, and so begins Wells' fish out of water story.
The piece takes some wonderful satirical turns as Wells jabs away at stolid British society - the vicar is the only one who believes the visitor's story and becomes enraptured with it, as his friends and neighbors look down their noses at him, in spite of some of its obvious talents.
I found this piece to be a breath of fresh air when placed in consideration with Wells' heavier SF writings. It shows that he had more than angry Martians and invisible men on his mind.
THE SCIENCE FICTION OF H.G. WELLS RANKED
(an ongoing list)
#1 - The Wonderful Visit (1895)
#2 - The Time Machine (1895)
Next up: The Island of Dr. Moreau (1896)
A bird loving vicar goes out to investigate reports of a strange specimen in the woods. He takes a shot at it to bring it home for his collection, only to find that he has winged - literally - an angel - literally. He helps it home, and through their interplay, we learn that perhaps this isn't strictly a Biblical angel, but one from what is perhaps a parallel world. Still, the angel has found itself deposited in our world, and so begins Wells' fish out of water story.
The piece takes some wonderful satirical turns as Wells jabs away at stolid British society - the vicar is the only one who believes the visitor's story and becomes enraptured with it, as his friends and neighbors look down their noses at him, in spite of some of its obvious talents.
I found this piece to be a breath of fresh air when placed in consideration with Wells' heavier SF writings. It shows that he had more than angry Martians and invisible men on his mind.
THE SCIENCE FICTION OF H.G. WELLS RANKED
(an ongoing list)
#1 - The Wonderful Visit (1895)
#2 - The Time Machine (1895)
Next up: The Island of Dr. Moreau (1896)
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